On February 21, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued new Interpretive Guidance regarding disclosures of cybersecurity-related information by publicly traded companies. This guidance comes in the context of public pressure on the SEC to update its 2011 Division of Corporation Finance guidance regarding cybersecurity risks and incidents. According to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton’s statement, this … Continue Reading

On October 26, 2016, the SEC amended Rule 504 of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) to increase the maximum amount of securities that may be sold thereunder in any 12-month period from $1 million to $5 million. Consequently, the rarely used Rule 504 may now prove useful to issuers … Continue Reading

So, fortune has smiled upon you. A partner has handed you a draft Form 10-K for a client and asked you to do a “rule check” or “form check” to confirm that no required disclosures are missing. Most often, the Form 10-K template for a reporting company has evolved over a number of years, with … Continue Reading

There are plenty of articles about how to write good MD&A – referring of course to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of your company’s Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Securities Act registration statement. The purpose of this article is to give you concrete tips on how to … Continue Reading

On July 1, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved, on an accelerated basis, proposed amendments to the listing rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) to require Nasdaq-listed companies to disclose annually any “compensation” or “other payment” provided by third parties to directors or director-nominees in connection with their candidacy or … Continue Reading

On July 13, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced proposed amendments in order to update and simplify its disclosure requirements. The SEC’s proposed rule (the “Proposed Rule”) can be found here.… Continue Reading

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) recent $1 million settlement with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“MSSB”) marked a turning point in the agency’s focus on cybersecurity issues, an area that the agency has proclaimed a top enforcement priority in recent years. The MSSB settlement addressed various cybersecurity deficiencies that led to the misappropriation of … Continue Reading

On February 11, 2016, FINRA filed a proposed rule with the SEC that would require individuals who “design, develop or significantly modify algorithmic trading strategies” (or “ATS”) as well as individuals responsible for the “day-to-day supervision or direction of the development process,” to pass a qualification exam and register with FINRA as securities traders. During … Continue Reading

Recently the SEC announced enforcement actions which highlight the importance of complying with the beneficial ownership reporting requirements under Sections 13(d), 13(g) and 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act.… Continue Reading

Yesterday, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its opinion in the challenge to the SEC’s Conflict Minerals Rule. We have reviewed the D.C. Court of Appeals decision and find that it leaves much of the SEC’s rule intact. It is specifically the requirement that companies describe products as not “DRC conflict free” … Continue Reading

Individuals form limited partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations to limit their personal liability. These legal structures encourage entrepreneurs to take risks. The California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, however, has made it easier to add a business owner to a judgment that initially was entered only against the corporate or limited partnership entity … Continue Reading

2014 Proxy Season Following are some topics that public companies may want to consider in preparation for the 2014 proxy season. Shareholder Proposals The 2013 proxy season reflected a continued increase in the number of shareholder proposals submitted to public companies, while the SEC no-action relief process resulted in fewer successful efforts of public companies … Continue Reading

On July 10, 2013, the SEC adopted the amendments required under the JOBS Act to Rule 506 that would permit issuers to use general solicitation and general advertising to offer their securities, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the SEC amended Rule 506, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act, to disqualify felons and other bad … Continue Reading

Most public companies use Broadridge for shareholder voting tasks related to their annual meetings. Due to a new interpretive position being taken by the SEC, Broadridge recently informed its clients of a technical change in its online, mobile and telephonic voting platforms that may adversely affect obtaining favorable shareholder votes, particularly from retail investors.… Continue Reading

Certain NASDAQ rules and interpretive material relating to the disclosure requirements surrounding a listed issuer’s non-compliance with the NASDAQ’s listing standards were amended effective December 3, 2012. Under the amended rules, an issuer that receives a notification of deficiency from the NASDAQ concerning non-compliance with continued listing standards must issue a more detailed public announcement. … Continue Reading

At last! We now have official guidance in one place from the United States Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). A lengthy memorandum was released November 14, 2012, accompanied by a joint press conference. Here is a link to the memo: http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/fcpa/fcpa-resource-guide.pdf… Continue Reading

On August 22, 2012, the SEC adopted its final rule related to conflict minerals required by Congress under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”), which will require all public companies to implement complex new controls and procedural mechanisms, and in certain cases, conduct supply chain due diligence that could lead to … Continue Reading

On August 22, 2012, the SEC adopted disclosure rules required by Sections 1502 and 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act related to conflict minerals and payments by issuers engaged in resource extraction. The new rules on conflicts minerals disclosures will apply to all SEC reporting companies for which the identified … Continue Reading

In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Reform Act”) for adopting regulations required by section 952 of the Reform Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 20, 2012 issued a press release and published final rules (Release No. 33-9330) (the “Final Rules”) for compensation committee and … Continue Reading

On April 5, 2012, President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, enacting it into law. The JOBS Act is intended to make it easier for smaller and earlier stage companies to raise capital and also to revitalize the U.S. market for initial public offerings, which has been in decline since the beginning … Continue Reading

In Securities & Exchange Commission v. Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., 2012 WL 851807 (2d Cir. Mar. 15, 2012), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit essentially approved the terms of a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (“Citigroup”) that had been notoriously rejected by … Continue Reading

On March 26, 2012, the House of Representatives passed the version of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act that was approved by the Senate on March 22, 2012. The House vote was 380-41. President Obama is expected to sign the bill this week. We discussed the JOBS Act and the Senate’s modifications to the … Continue Reading

On March 22, 2012, the Senate passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act by a vote of 73-26. The House of Representatives passed the JOBS Act on March 8, 2012 by a vote of 390-23. The Senate bypassed its typical committee process to rush the bill to a floor vote. Legislators in both parties … Continue Reading

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